Home Music Lane

It's all about the music, dude! Sit down, relax and listen to some tunes.

The thing that makes Rochberg so controversial. . .

. . . is that he set out to write IN THE STYLE OF other (tonal) composers. IOW, Rochberg's use of earlier styles is FAR more chameleon-like than Stravinsky's use of "Pergolesi" (or even Kreisler's "in the style of" pieces). And as I think we both agree, Stravinsky did NOT set out to write in the style of "Pergolesi" - he merely borrowed a few tunes.

To illustrate the difference, some listeners hear Rochberg's Symphony No. 5 as a virtual re-write of Mahler's Ninth (!), although I admit that I don't hear it that way myself (despite certain sections being extremely evocative of Mahler's work). I guess the point is that modern composers can follow older styles EXTREMELY closely without becoming "mere copyists" and yet without becoming "disappointingly different" and losing their appeal to a given audience just because their style isn't sufficiently original or up to date. Having said that, I must admit that I don't find Rochberg's Fifth Symphony particularly compelling! (Maybe the work is "disappointingly different" just to me!) ;-)


This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  McShane Design  


Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups
  • The thing that makes Rochberg so controversial. . . - Chris from Lafayette 11:30:48 07/07/16 (0)

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?
Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
  Remember my Moniker & Password  (What's this?)    Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:
Message:   (Posts are subject to Content Rules)
Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:  Automagically notify you when someone responds.